But there was also a real-estate job in Chicago. The University of Pennsylvania, his alma mater, was eager for Glanville to expand his role there. And ESPN.com could always run more of his columns on astronomy and his visit to South Africa.

Glanville had options, and he was not afraid to use them. At 34, with nine seasons in the majors, he was not sure his baseball career would continue.

"You don't know when the phone's not going to ring in free agency," he said. "And even if it does ring, is it going to be a worthwhile opportunity? I was prepared. But this is undeniable, and it really had to be."

Glanville joined the Yankees as a non-roster player, hoping to beat out Bubba Crosby for the only open spot on the team: the backup center fielder to Bernie Williams. It is an important job, considering Williams is 36 and played only 97 games in the field last season. It was enough for Glanville to postpone other options.

Or was it? Glanville still serves as a managing partner for Metropolitan Development, a company that builds condominiums and custom homes in Chicago's western suburbs. He still serves on the Board of Overseers of the engineering college at Penn.

And while he has not written for ESPN.com since last April, he could always help the Yankees with their plan for a new stadium. At Penn, Glanville wrote his thesis on the feasibility of a proposed ballpark in West Philadelphia. He concluded that the cost of new transportation systems would have been prohibitive.

"If you wanted to spend a billion dollars and build it on stilts over the train station, you could have done it," Glanville said. "It would have been gorgeous. Economics was the issue."

The Phillies built the park elsewhere, and Glanville played there last season. But he had only 162 at-bats, the fewest since his rookie season, and the Phillies did not make the playoffs. Glanville, who had a game-winning triple for the Chicago Cubs in the 2003 National League Championship Series, wanted a chance to win again.

So he chose the Yankees, but he would not abandon his other interests. Glanville is an early riser, and he sometimes uses the time before night games to work for the real-estate company. He earned a degree in science and systems engineering, and he puts it to use studying documents, analyzing traffic systems and dealing with town councils for zoning approvals.

"He plays a big role," said Roderick Reid, the other managing partner. "It's a very political process with a lot of complex issues, and Doug grasps it very quickly. Even if he's not here all the time, he processes everything instantly."

When Glanville played for the Cubs, he used his baseball connections to court investors. But he does not attend meetings in his role as a ballplayer.

"People quickly realize he's not there just to smile and sign autographs, " said Reid, a Harvard-educated lawyer. "He's there to really lead and make decisions."

In some ways, Glanville is more at home in that setting than in a major- league clubhouse. Only 18 other Ivy Leaguers have played in the majors since 1965, and just one for the Yankees -- Steve Adkins, a Penn pitcher best known for allowing Cecil Fielder's 50th home run in 1990.

"There was always this question mark as an Ivy Leaguer coming up: 'Are you dedicated? Are you an engineer first and a baseball player second? How committed are you?' " said Glanville, a first-round pick by the Cubs in 1991. "That was the label when I got drafted. You're not sure if he wants to play."

Glanville respected the logic, understanding that teams have more control over players with no other options. But he also knew, he said, "that to be an Ivy League guy, you have to be somewhat competitive on some level."

"There's an asset in that," he added.

The Cubs traded Glanville to the Phillies in 1997. Glanville had grown up in Teaneck, N.J., idolizing the Phillies' rangy center fielder, Garry Maddox. Playing Maddox's old position with a similar physical build, Glanville batted . 325 in 1999.

He still lives near Philadelphia and remains active at Penn. Last year, Glanville attended the inauguration of Penn's new president, Dr. Amy Guttman, and made a point to ask her how he could help.

"He is an incredible guy," Guttman said. "He's really done Penn proud. We pride ourselves on having engaged alumni. He wants to be, and we want him to be, even more involved in what the university is doing with the community.

"We're very proud of his accomplishments and his commitment to working with us to increase access to Penn for Philadelphia teens who might otherwise think Penn is not within their reach."

Glanville could be available after spring training. If he does not make the Yankees, he says, he is not sure he would want to play at Triple-A. Then again, he says, he is not quite ready to give up his day job. Baseball only lasts so long.

"There's a lot of great stuff out there," Glanville said. "But this is a finite time, and I'm trying to make the most of it. I'm trying to see this course through, and there's no better place."